Charles Stanley ends Chapter 9 of Emotions with six ways to maintain our trust in God when we’re faced with difficulties and distresses.
1. Allow signs of despair to lead you to prayer. Dr. Stanley emphasizes that the negative emotions we’re experiencing reveal our need to turn to God and reestablish/strengthen our relationship with Him.
2. Take stock of your life. When we’re struggling with isolation and despair, the author suggests the acrostic HALT- Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired- to help us remember “to stop, refuel, and seek the Lord’s guidance.”
3. Commit yourself to your Father’s plans. Dr. Stanley asserts that we make a terrible mistake when we decide to give up because we’re afraid our circumstances never will change. With God there’s always hope. If we give in to discouragement, we forfeit abundant blessings.
4. Embrace who God says you are. During times of adversity, we may attribute our pain to our own sense (or lack) of worth. We need to see ourselves as God sees us. He understands our potential and worth, loving us unconditionally.
5. Praise the Lord. The author states that dejection and praise can’t coexist in our hearts for very long: “praising God is a bulwark against despair.”
6. Do the Lord’s work. Dr. Stanley encourages us to “learn to see the adversity you face as a tool that the Lord is using to do something extraordinary in your life.”
Today’s question: Which of these steps is the most difficult for you at this stage of your healing, transformational journey? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Three lessons from adversity”
